Softball Headline

After
two rain delays under cloudy and threatening skies in Athens, No. 4 UF softball’s
series-opener with No. 9/10 Georgia was halted in the top of the seventh inning,
with UGA holding a 3-0 advantage over Florida. The Gators and Bulldogs will
finish up the inning Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. prior to first pitch in game
two of the series, slated for 2:30 p.m. The Gators will pick up with junior
pinch hitter Sam Holle (Tampa, Fla.) on first base with one out.

A
crowd of 1,262 came out to Jack Turner Stadium Friday to watch the series-opening
Florida-Georgia match-up. Through the six frames, the Gators tallied five hits
to the Bulldogs’ three, but stranded seven runners on base.

Through
six innings before the final delay, Florida sophomore ace Hannah Rogers (Lake
Wales, Fla.) had tossed a three-hitter, allowed two earned runs, walked one
Bulldog and fanned four. Likewise, senior Erin Arevalo went the first 6.0 and
started the seventh for Georgia. Arevalo had given up five Gator hits, walked one,
and retired six Gators by strikeout when the game was halted.

Georgia
first struck in the initial stanza after Paige Wilson reached on a Gator
defensive miscue and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A sac bunt moved her
along to third and with one out, a ground out scored Wilson for the 1-0 UGA
lead.

The
Gators got the bats swinging in the second as freshman Bailey Castro (Pembroke
Pines, Fla.) led off with a base hit to center field, but a junior Kelsey
Horton (Valrico, Fla.) fielder’s choice eliminated Castro at second. Next
up, junior Ensley Gammel (Bakersfield, Calif.) sent a two-out hopper up
the middle for runners on first and second, but an Arevalo strikeout ended the
frame.

The
Dawgs added a second run in the third on an Ashley Pauly sac fly after Brittney
Hubbard knocked a leadoff double to left center, followed by a one-out base hit
from Wilson that put runners on the corners for UGA. Next up, Pauly connected
for a sacrifice fly to right field, while a fly out ended the stanza with a 2-0
Georgia lead heading to the fourth.

Freshman
Katie Medina (Downey, Calif.) got things started for the Orange and Blue
in the top of the fifth after an Arevalo hit-by-pitch, while the first year
advanced to second after a failed pick-off-attempt at first. Next up, Kasey
Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) turned over the lineup with a base hit of her own
to center field, as sister Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) moved her to
second on a groundout. Next up, senior Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville,
Fla.) reached on a fielder’s choice as Georgia eliminated Medina at the dish. An
Arevalo strikeout, her sixth of the tilt, retired the side, stranding two
runners on for UF.

In
the bottom of the sixth, Wilson helped the Bulldogs add a third run after a
leadoff double, UGA’s second of the game, moved to third on a dropped third
strike and came around to score on a Pauly fielder’s choice that carried the
Bulldogs to the seventh with a 3-0 advantage.

After
a short rain delay between the sixth and seventh stanzas, Gammel led off with a
fly out before Holle came in to pinch hit for Medina. In the wet conditions, an
Arevalo pitch went haywire, sending Holle to first on a hit-by-pitch, spurring
the final delay and halted game.

For
all game notes, stats and recaps, be sure to visit www.GatorZone.com/softball following every game
this season. Gator fans can follow Florida’s competition this year through
online stats, on GatorVision.tv and live locally and online on the radio at
WYGC-104.9, 105 The Game, with the call by play-by-play announcer Adam Schick
and color analyst Megan Bush.

Links
for all live action are available at GatorZone.com. For in-game updates on all
the action, follow the Gators on Twitter @GatorZoneSBall and check UF’s
official softball Facebook page HERE for updates on
competition.